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1. Computational Thinking into K-12 Classrooms: Experiences and Challenges fromProfessional Learning Experiences

   Liu, Zhichun; Gearty, Zarina; Richard, Eleanor; Orrill, Chandra; Kayumova, Shakhnoza; Balasubramanian, Ramprasad (June 2022, Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2022)

   China, C.' Tan; Chan, C.; Kali, Y. (Ed.)

   Teachers often find it challenging to learn computational thinking (CT) and integrate it with classroom learning. In this systematic review, we focus on how professional learning experiences have supported K-12 teachers to integrate CT into their classrooms. The findings suggest some effective strategies for building professional learning experiences but highlight the need for more agreement about the nature of CT. 

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2. Integrating computational thinking in elementary classrooms: Introducing a toolkit to support teachers

   Yadav, A. (April 2019, Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference)

   Driven by the need for students to be prepared for a world driven by computation, a number of recent educational reforms in science and mathematics have called for computational thinking concepts to be integrated into these content areas. However, in order for computational thinking (CT) to permeate K-12 education, we need to educate teachers about what CT ideas are and how they relate to what happens in their classroom on a day-to-day basis. This paper presents a toolkit to scaffold elementary teachers’ understanding of computational thinking ideas and how to integrate them into their lesson plans. 

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3. Workshops and Co-design Can Help Teachers Integrate Computational Thinking into Their K-12 STEM Classes

   Wu, S.; Peel, A.; Bain, C.; Anton, G.; Horn, M.; Wilensky, U. (April 2020, Proceedings of International Conference on Computational Thinking Education 2020)

   Kong, S.C. (Ed.)

   This work aims to help high school STEM teachers integrate computational thinking (CT) into their classrooms by engaging teachers as curriculum co-designers. K-12 teachers who are not trained in computer science may not see the value of CT in STEM classrooms and how to engage their students in computational practices that reflect the practices of STEM professionals. To this end, we developed a 4-week professional development workshop for eight science and mathematics high school teachers to co-design computationally enhanced curriculum with our team of researchers. The workshop first provided an introduction to computational practices and tools for STEM education. Then, teachers engaged in co-design to enhance their science and mathematics curricula with computational practices in STEM. Data from surveys and interviews showed that teachers learned about computational thinking, computational tools, coding, and the value of collaboration after the professional development. Further, they were able to integrate multiple computational tools that engage their students in CT-STEM practices. These findings suggest that teachers can learn to use computational practices and tools through workshops, and that teachers collaborating with researchers in co-design to develop computational enhanced STEM curriculum may be a powerful way to engage students and teachers with CT in K-12 classrooms. 

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4. Exploring Elementary Teachers' Eagerness and Reluctance to Integrating Computational Thinking

   Kayumova, S.; Asif, A. D.; Richard, E.; Orrill, C. H.; Liu, Z.; Gearty, Z.; Thapa, R.; Tasnim, N.; & Balasubramanian, R. (April 2023, 2023 AERA Annual Meeting)

   Although the professional learning opportunities for teachers to introduce computational thinking (CT) into K-12 education are increasing, it remains challenging to support teachers in integrating CT into their everyday classroom practices. In this study, we have identified six elementary teachers who showed evident eagerness or reluctance in a CT integration professional learning experience. We further analyzed the emerging verbal and non-verbal participation patterns of eagerness and reluctance and the challenges teachers have encountered in the professional learning experience. The results shed light on how to better understand and address the challenges in creating sustainable and effective professional learning. 

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5. Computational thinking in elementary classrooms: Using classroom dialogue to measure equitable participation

   Larimore, R. (May 2021, Proceedings of the Research in Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering (RESPECT))

   null (Ed.)

   The increased push for access to computer science (CS) at the K-12 level has been argued as a way to broaden participation in computing. At the elementary level, computational thinking (CT) has been used as a framework for bringing CS ideas into the classroom and educating teachers about how they can integrate CT into their daily instruction. A number of these projects have made equity a central goal of their work by working in schools with diverse racial, linguistic, and economic diversity. However, we know little about whether and how teachers equitably engage students in CT during their classroom instruction– particularly during science and math lessons. In this paper, we present an approach to analyzing classroom instructional videos using the EQUIP tool (https://www.equip.ninja/). The purpose of this tool is to examine the quantity and quality of students’ contributions during CT-integrated math and science lessons and how it differs based on demographic markers. We highlight this approach using classroom video observation from four teachers and discuss future work in this area. 

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